Rafael martinez



" No Model.) I

R. MARTINEZ.

MAT 0R FLOOR COVERING.

- Patented De 22,1885.

Q .JNVENTORI WITNESSES' I g.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAFAEL MARTINEZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD BEADLE, OF ORANFORD, N. J AND JOHN F. COURTNEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PA.

MAT OR FLOOR-COVERING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,921, dated December 22,1885.

Application filed October 16, 1885. Serial No. 180,094. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RAFAEL MARTINEZ, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mats or Floor-Coverings, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mats of that class particularly useful in street-cars, bar-rooms, and other similar places where it is desirable that a surface be provided to walk or stand upon, while all dirt and other matter may fall through or be disengaged from said surface in order that said surface may present a clean appearance, and in which the dust, mud, snow,

[ &c., may be retained below the mat. Mats of this description are usually provided with slats or rods separated so as to be parallel with each other and lie a short distance apart and connected together so as to retain their proper 2o positionupon the floor. Mats of this description have heretofore been constructed with flexible connections between the parallel slats or rods, whereby the mat may be rolled up for transportation or removal and unrolled so as 2 to lie flat upon the floor when in use, and another manner of constructing such mats is to unite several slats or rods together at their ends into stiff sections, and then joint the sections together, so that said stiff sections may 0 be folded over one upon the other to enable the mat to be folded up into short compass for transportation or removal.

In Letters Patent granted to me March 25, 1884, as No. 295,782, an improved stiff-section folding mat is shown and described, whereby the stiff sections may be folded over one upon the other, so as to lie close together, the said sections being connected together by yielding joints.

My improved mat is designed more particularly as an improvement upon the stiff-sectioned folding mat invented and patented by me, as aforesaid; and the objects of my present invention are to simplify and lessen the cost 5 of manufacture of such amat, while providing a mat which presents a neat appearance, is very durable, and the connected sections of which can be readily folded over one upon the other, so as to lie closely together and economiz'e space and facilitate handling and trans- 5o portation. I

Afurther object of my invention is to improve the joint or connection between the stiff sections, whereby the mat presents a uniform or substantially uniform appearance through- .out, and in which the joint or coupling beof said sections as folded over upon another.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken through one of the mat-sections on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1,

showing more particularly a central sinuous or corrugated binding-strip, which may be used to strengthen and support the transverse wooden slats or rods at the center whena very wide mat is to be 'used; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through one of the joint cast ings which I make use of in my improved mat.

My improved mat, as hereiubefore stated, is made up of stiff mat-sections A, united together end to end by a yielding connection which permits one section to be folded over upon the other. Said mat-sections A consist of socketed side bars or castings, B B, fitted upon the ends of parallel slats or rods 0, which are generally, though of course not necessarily, ofwood, while the side bars or socketed castings may be of malleable cast-iron or of any other suitable metal or material, malleable cast-iron being preferred. The side bars or castings, B B, preferably consist of alternate sockets b and webs b, as described and claimed in Robertsons patent, No. 232,760, of September 28, 1880. The opposite ends of each side bar or casting B is cast or provided with a projecting hook, b", the main arm I) of which is in the longitudinal line of the said side bar or I stantially so, with the outer side of the side casting, while the hooked end I) is at right angles thereto and projects inwardly toward the center of the mat to constitute a pintle or pivot.

In coupling the adjacent ends of the stiff sections together the opposing hooks or pivot ends 0 fit in sockets or bearings 03 at the outer end and at opposite sides of a socketed casting, D, whereby the sections of the mat are coupled together by a flexible or yielding joint, the socketed casting D, as far as the joint is concerned, virtually constituting a link between the hooked ends of the adjacent sections. There is of course a socketed joint or casting, D, at each side of the mat, between the adjacent stiff sections thereof. Said cast-ings D D are also socketed at their inner ends, (1, which face toward the center of the mat, and in order to retain these socketed castings in place I fit into theirinner socketed ends, cl, the outer ends of a slat or rod, 0, whereby the joint-castings D are retained securely in place with the books or pivots of the adjacent mat-sections, fitting the sockets or bearings 01 therein, so as to unite the mat-sections firmly and securely together.

By this construction I attain several advantages,and among them are these: The joint connecting the mat-sections is madev up of simple castings held in position to couple the matsect-ions by means of a rod or slat forming one of the rods or slats of the complete mat, whereby a uniform appearance is presented throughout. In addition to the economical construction of the joint per se, it admits of fitting the mat-sections together without the employment of skilled labor. Moreover, the joint is very strong and durable, and enables, by the yielding of the hooks in the socketed castings, one section of the mat to be folded, over so as to lie close upon the other, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The manufacture of folding stiff -section mats is much facilitated by my present improvements.

All that is necessary in putting the parts of the stiff sections together and connecting the mat-sections by my improved joint is to fitthe hooks of the side bars, B B, in their seats or sockets (l in the castings D, enter the ends of the lateral or crosswise rods or slats O in their sockets b in said side bars, and the ends of thejoint-rods G in the sockets d of said castings, and then move or press said side bars and castings firmly endwise upon said slats or rods, so as to unite them all firmly together with the ends of said rods or slats firmly seated in the sockets of the side bars and socketed castings.

To aid in thus fitting the parts together, and to secure a surface on the joint-casting D by which the pressure may be the more readily applied to force it upon the end of its rod, I prefer to construct the casting with a pro jection or extension, d at its outer end, which brings the casting D out flush, or subbar B of the mat.

To insure the retention of the united parts together, a suitable fastening, such as a pin or nail, f, may be driven through the end socket b of each side bar B, and the end of the crosswise wooden rod seated therein to unite them firmly together, and a similar fastening may be used between the socketed castings D and the transverse rod or slat G, as clearly shown in the drawings.

\Vhat has been said will be sufficient to show that the rigid mat-sections are put together economically and connected by a joint which permits one section to be folded over, so as to lie fiat upon or under another, and that said joint is of very simple construction, and permits the putting together of the mat without the employment of skilled labor,which is a great advantage. Further than this, it will be obvious that if one or more of the slats of my improved mat be broken that section of the mat which contains the broken rod or slat may be readily separated by withdrawing the through pins or nails which pass through the end slats or rods of each section, and foreing off the side bars, B B, from the ends of the slats or rods. A new rod may then be inserted in place of the brokenone, whereupon the side bars, B B, may again be pressed into place with their pivot-hooks in the jointcastings and with the ends of the slats or rods securely seated in said bars. A fastening nail or pin through the end slats then prevents all danger of accidental separation of the parts, and the mat is complete as before.

Where wide mats are to be used, andconsequently long slats or rods employed, I prefer to strengthen and support the mat by securing the slats or rods of each section together at or about the center by a preferably sinuous or corrugated metal binding-strip, E, the under side of which may rest squarely with the side bars, B B," upon the floorto be covered.

Some of the details of the preferred organization I have above described may of course be varied or omitted or added to without departing from my invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. The joint-casting for floor-mats herein described, consisting of a single piece of cast metal having a socket or seat near each side of one end thereof, opening outwardly to receive the inwardly-projecting hooks or pivots of the joint, and an extension of the casting at said end beyond said sockets, and a socket at the opposite end of said casting opening inwardly to receive the end of a rod or slat upon which the casting is to be fitted, substantially as described.

2. A slatted floor mat or covering consisting of rigid sections united together by socketed joints at opposite sides of the mat, said joints being held in position by a slat or rod forming one of the slats or rods of the mat, substantially as described.

3. A slatted floor mat or covering consisting 'of rigid sections united together end to end by means of hooks on the ends of the respective mat-sections fitting openings or seats in interposed'socketed links or joints carrying an interposed slat or rod, substantially as described.

4. A slatted floor mat or covering consisting of rigid mat-sections united together by yielding joints, to permit the mat to be folded, and the slats of each of said sections being rigidly connected together at or about the center thereof by a binding-strip on the under surface of the mat, substantially as described.

5. A slatted floor-mat the slats of which or the slats of sections of which are connected 15 together by a sinuous or corrugated bindingstrip at the under surface of the mat, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

RAFAEL MARTINEZ.

Witnesses:

H. J. LEAMAN, E. W. PARKs. 

